Lawmaker chews out staffer for riding on members-only elevator

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) chewed out a House staffer after catching her riding on a “members only” elevator, according to an ITK tipster who was on the scene.

But Foxx’s office is calling our lookout's description of events in the elevator an "exaggeration."

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Our spy hit the “members” button on the elevator after waiting (and waiting) for a lift on Tuesday. Elevators were slow that day because furniture was being moved around the Longworth House Office Building. When the members-only elevator arrived, our tipster and a female House staffer stepped in.

The elevator went up a single floor before the doors opened and Foxx walked in with an aide.

The lawmaker, who was recently elected to a House GOP leadership post, asked for whom the pair worked. Then she turned to the female staffer, who had no clue she was on board what was soon to be the elevator ride of doom.

Foxx said to the staffer, “This is a ‘members-only’ elevator; can you read?” She then demanded the staffer’s name before the elevator stopped after going just one more floor up. “Get out here,” Foxx supposedly commanded.

Before our insider and the berated staffer exited, the politician exclaimed, “What does this sign say? It says, ‘Members of Congress only.’ ”

But that wasn’t it. The innocent staffer attempted to point out that the sign next to it stated, “during votes,” which is when, our tipster says, Foxx started yelling, “Members only!” as she pointed to signs.

“I’m just making sure we are hiring people who know how to read,” the lawmaker said.

Foxx’s press secretary, Ericka Perryman, noted it must be a slow news day, telling ITK in an email, “This is silly. But it is interesting to see what great lengths of exaggeration some disrespectful junior staffers will go to just to read about themselves in the paper.”

We wanted to get to the bottom of this elevator etiquette snafu.

House Administration Committee Deputy Staff Director Salley Wood tells us both Foxx and the anonymous staffer are right … sort of.

“There are elevators that are designated for ‘members only’ during vote series as well as elevators that are designated for ‘members only’ at all times,” says Wood.

While not knowing on which elevator the alleged incident took place, Wood says signage should notify riders which elevator banks are usable and when.

Whatever the case, our ITK mole seemed flabbergasted by the elevator episode, saying of Foxx, “Seriously?!? I have never seen a member do that.”